OK I am a sucker for 4 5/8 Barreled Ruger Blackhawks !

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Biblethumpncop said:
View attachment 1061029 View attachment 1061030 View attachment 1061031 View attachment 1061032 I adore my 4-5/8" Flattop .44spl after swapping to an alloy grip frame and erh. The steel grip frame was too heavy for a finely balanced machine!
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One of the reasons I bought this Ruger .45 is that it does have an alloy grip frame and ejector housing. Most if not all my New Model Blackhawks have been converted to steel grip frames or came with them . The alloy grip frames shave a few ounces I believe and do make the gun feel more "barrel heavy" which to a point is a good thing. I see this new addition as a packing gun not to be gussied up nor babied , by me at least. Although I do have an Oregon CCW when riding my motorcycles or even an ATV there is something about an open carried holster with a Single action.that make me feel like its 1800s again . I don't go into or thru prohibited towns of course and make sure it is legally exposed.
 
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Congratulations Gordon. :thumbup:

Years ago I bought a rusty Blackhawk .357 with a 4 5/8” for $100. I cleaned it up with WD-40 and 0000 steel wool and got a new set of grips for it. The gun looked great. It had a lovely patina.
Man, that thing was an accurate shooter.
I gave it to a friend of mine back in 2002. He loved that gun.
I kind of wish I wouldn’t have given it to him. He turned out to be a jerk.

One day I would like another one.
 
I had a 357 Ruger BH back in the early 70's. Actually that was my second revolver purchase. The first one was a mail order surplus Webley. Came right to the door with a box of ammo. 1966 IIRC. I think I traded that one for the BH. I loved that gun. Not sure why I ever traded it away.

I've been looking at these again on GB and a few other sites only in 44 Special. Already dropped a few bids but wasn't the lucky winner. Homey don't play the bidding war games. ;)
 
That's a Ruger Flat Top, .44 Spl, Gordon...sorry about the pic quality...did it with my phone, which normally does pretty well....but this one had a funny pixel count/look...Here's a better look...The stocks are black & white ebony, the wood is a left-over from a cousin's recurve bow making project.

On Rugers, I like my grips a bit fatter up at the top than factory ones, maybe 1/16" or so...this was a one day project for me...finished in tung oil...half a dozen coats.

The gun is a sweetheart, as accurate as my other 4-5/8" Flat Top .44 Spl...never was much of a SS fan, but .... it stands up to weather and day to day use far better than blued steel...Best Regards, Rod

44-Spl-new-stocks.jpg
 

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Oddly enough while I think the 4 5/8" Blackhawk is a "goldilocks" only 1 of my 8 Ruger single actions is actually a 4 5/8".
2 are shorter a Sheriff's Vaquero and I just got a bird's head Wrangler.
My single sixes are 5.5" one is a 3 screw that I inherited the other is a 60th commemorative.
I have a pair of buckeye sports 32 h&r/ 32-20 and 10mm/ 38-40 convertibles with 6.5" and a Keith #5 inspired 5.5" 45 Colt.
 
4 5/8”, 4 3/4” in single action revolvers, and 4” & 5” in double action revolvers, is my preferred barrel length. I own a Freedom Arms model 97, in .44 Special, with a 4 1/4” barrel and love it. I own a pre 83, in 454, with a 6” barrel. I don’t carry it much anymore, and often thought about having it cut down. There is just something about those barrel lengths, that look right, feel right and carry in a holster right.
 
Gary W. Strange said:
4 5/8”, 4 3/4” in single action revolvers, and 4” & 5” in double action revolvers, is my preferred barrel length. I own a Freedom Arms model 97, in .44 Special, with a 4 1/4” barrel and love it. I own a pre 83, in 454, with a 6” barrel. I don’t carry it much anymore, and often thought about having it cut down. There is just something about those barrel lengths, that look right, feel right and carry in a holster right.
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I cut m. 7 1/2" BFR 475/480 back to 5 1/4 ish would have gone to the end of ejector rod if it weren't for barrel markings. IMG-20120404-00456.jpg
No guts no glory
IMG-20120404-00462.jpg
 
I have a 4 5/8" Blackhawk in 44 special but don’t shoot it much because the grip is too small to get my pinky on it. I’ve looked but been unable to find a larger aftermarket grip. Is there such a thing? I just can’t get used to tucking my pinky underneath the grip.
 
Gordon said:
I just won on GB a 1986 .45Colt Blackhawk 4 5/8 Barrel for $600 shipped (no taxes in Oregon) which has 30 rounds thru it. That makes for 8 such 4 5/8" various versions of that format : A 1959 three screw .357 flattop , a 50th year Flattop .357 , a .44 Magnum three screw flat top cut down from a 62 Flat top 6.5 Inch. , a 1986 Bisley .44 Mag cut down and spruced up by Magna port in 1987 , a .44 Special "little gun" created from a Stainless .357 in the 80s , a .454 5 shot from a .45 Bisley made in the 90s , a full race SASS .357 New Vaquero and now this .45 which will remain fairly stock, other than grips and maybe some action tuning . The good thing is other than the older .357 flattops and New Vaquero is they all fit it in the same holsters :) .
I had an early 70s 6" New Model Black Hawk Convertible .45acp/Colt Blackhawk for years which I shot the heck out of with mostly acp. reloads but got passed to another family member , now deceased , and the .454 Custom is too pretty and valuable to shoot alot and has been promised to a son who shot it a little with .454 earthquakes ! Anyway here it is in all it's glory ! I consider 1976-1986 era Black Hawks to be some of the best quality years IMHO . I do have half a dozen other Blackhawks of different barrel lengths, calibers and varieties a GREAT American design and in a lot of respects the best SAA style revolver ever ! Certainly the great factory support and ease of customization and servicing is the best ever.
View attachment 1060858 My favorite Holster for them is THIS:
View attachment 1060859
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My first centerfire firearm was a 4-5/8" RBH in .357Mag. No telling how many pigs, deer, squirrels, possums, raccoons, gators, etc. et. al. that revolver took when I had it. I passed it on to a good friend and neighbor when I went off to San Antonio for basic. He's already passed it down to his son who's getting ready to have a son/daughter of his own (we aren't sure - they want it to be a surprise). That Ruger will be carried down generations, for sure.

Great find and thanks for posting.
 
I am late to the blackhawk game... had one 5.5 vaquero 44 mag for years but no black hawks untill not many years ago and they were 7.5 inch .45's 3 years back I got a 4 5/8 44 mag and a 5.5 .44 mag not long after.I like the feel of them but have not spent enough time with either yet...
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daverich4 said:
I have a 4 5/8" Blackhawk in 44 special but don’t shoot it much because the grip is too small to get my pinky on it. I’ve looked but been unable to find a larger aftermarket grip. Is there such a thing? I just can’t get used to tucking my pinky underneath the grip.
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hogue and pachmayr offer rubber grips for the ruger blackhawk.
 
So many beautiful BHs in this thread!

Mine is a custom, hair trigger, slick action and high polish. Faux ivory grips. 45 Colt
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While not BHs i have a Single Six 50th anniversary model with 4.625" barrel, and a converted birds head wrangler with the 4.625" barrel

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A revolver doesnt seem right without a barrel between 4.5 and 5 inches imo.
 
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